A writer-mom's life is filled with a million and two distractions; sometimes she finds herself at the park, WRITING ON THE SIDEWALK

Author Spotlight- Anne Mazer

I am thrilled to announce that our new spotlight is on the talented author Anne Mazer.

Here is Anne’s bio:

Anne Mazer grew up in a family of writers in upstate New York. Intending to be an artist, she studied at the School of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University. She then went to Paris for three years where she studied French and French literature and where she began to write.

She is the author of forty-four books, including the picture books, “The Salamander Room”, a Reading Rainbow Feature selection and a 1993 ABC Children’s Choice book, “The Yellow Button”, and most recently, “The No-Nothings and Their Baby.” She has also written seven novels, including “Moose Street”, a Booklist Editor’s Choice for Best Book of 1992, and “The Oxboy”, an ALA Notable Book and a Notable 1993 Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies. Her short stories have been anthologized in a number of collections, and she has published a collection of her own short stories, “A Sliver of Glass.” She is also the editor of four anthologies: “America Street,” a New York Public Library Best Book for Teens; “Going Where I’m Coming From,” a New York Public Library Best Book for Teens; “Working Days,” a 1998 ALA Best Book for Teens and a New York Public Library Best Book for Teens; and “A Walk in My World,” which are widely used in elementary through college classrooms.

Anne is the author of the best selling “The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes” series, which has extended over eleven years and twenty-two books. She has also written the “Sister Magic” series for young readers.

Her latest work is “Spilling Ink: A Handbook for Young Writers,” co-authored with Ellen Potter.

What was your road to publication?

Anne: It took me seven years to get published. (Also known as “the seven-year rip.”) I started by writing a young adult novel, which received a number of rejection letters that still lurk in my file cabinet. Then I just floundered around, giving my wastebasket a heavy workout. I was just about ready to give up writing completely when I had a dream. My dream advised me to try something different than young adult novels. Since I was reading dozens of picture books to my then two year old son, I thought that would be a good place to start. Within six months I sold three picturebooks to Knopf, including The Salamander Room.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing process? Do you plot or not?

Anne: The word plot sends shivers up my spine (not the good kind). I prefer to think about people and what they might do and what might happen to a particular person in a particular situation. I scrawl some notes, think up a few ideas, try to start in a strong place, and then go to it. The first few chapters are often very difficult. So are the next few. And the next. And…. yes. It all involves a lot of hard thinking, and three-or four -dimensional visualizing. And the slightest whisper can change a story.

Are you working on any new projects that you can tell us about?

Anne: Sorry, mum’s the word. I’m working on a book for Feiwel and Friends, but I don’t like to talk about my works in progress.

Describe your studio or usual work space for us.

Anne: A mess. Bills stacked on the desk, ideas scrawled on old envelopes and bits of paper. Notebooks everywhere, sweaters and purses covering the bed. Books stacked haphazardly; paintings leaning against the wall… and a tiny clear space around the computer. I am debating whether to pretend that my husband’s extremely neat and orderly office is actually mine when I do a Skype visit.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Anne: I’d like to be a lazy person for a few years and see what it feels like to do very little.

What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?

Anne: That I like British humor, that my tags often stick out of my shirts, that I used to splatter toothpaste over myself as a teenager (not on purpose), and that my favorite holiday is Halloween – but only if I get to wear a costume.

Were you inspired by your family to become a writer?

Anne: All I did as a kid was read, but I fought off being a writer for a long time. My experience as the daughter of two writers did not lead me automatically to writing. Eventually, however, I had to give in and admit that I wanted to write… okay, that I loved to write… maybe I was even born to write.

Did you know Ellen Potter prior to your collaboration for Spilling Ink?

Anne: The funny thing is, I didn’t know Ellen very well at all when we began our collaboration! For years I had wanted to get to know her… but didn’t until Megan Shull, another children’s book author, connected us. We three appeared together for “You Read, Girl,” an event that Megan masterminded and organized. Afterward, I proposed that we all collaborate on a book about writing together. It was an idea that had been rolling around in my head for years, but I had never been able to do it on my own. It was really a ploy to get to know Megan and Ellen better! Unfortunately, Megan had to drop out after a few months, but Ellen and I continued on together. Not only did we have a wonderful time writing the book, but we became extremely close friends in the process.

We here at Writing on the Sidewalk tend to procrastinate with our writing, where do you fit in Procrastinator or Proactive?

Anne: The best way I know to deal with anxiety is to plunge into work. Writing always makes me feel better. On the other hand, I procrastinate on just about everything else in my life…